A nexus among Pakistan's Inter
Services Intelligence (ISI), Maoists and insurgent groups of North-East
is using money earned from drug trafficking to fund terror activities in
India, official sources have said.

Major
drug seizures on the India-Nepal border in the past four months have
put a spotlight on this revenue generation strategy adopted by terror
groups.

Intelligence
sources say that the ISI, Maoists and north-eastern groups are hand in
glove. In the last four months, Custom officials have seized more than
10 kg of heroin worth `60 crore in international market from the India-
Nepal border in Bihar's Araria district.

Indian Maoists watch as villagers dance in a forested area of Bijapur District in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh

Apart from this, 1,000 kg of
marijuana and four kg of charas were also seized in the same area. 'The
amount of seizure made in the last four months from the Indo-Nepal
border drastically exceeds the seizure made in years from across the
country.

In the past,
not more than three-four kg of heroin was recovered during the entire
year,' said a Custom official, who is a part of the team probing the
seizures.

While only two
arrests have been made in the five cases, counter-terror agencies
suspect that the terror nexus is behind this international drug racket.

'This is definitely the most lucrative method of generating funds...
The Maoists have managed to procure hi-tech weapons from the US and
China.

Where is the money
coming from?' an intelligence official said . The information about the
big seizures has been shared by other agencies. The Directorate of
Revenue Intelligence (DRI) and the Intelligence Bureau have also been
roped in.

[A detailed dossier, with all information on the drug syndicate and its links with terror outfits, is also being prepared.

The DRI has already prepared a
detailed note on the ongoing probe and forwarded it to intelligence
agencies. Even the National Investigation Agency (NIA) - probing the
arms procurement of the Maoists - is looking into the financial aspect.

Sources say the entire machinery is well-organised. The procurement is
being done by the ISI, while the stocking and distribution are done by
the Maoists and N-E insurgents.

Many
smugglers are former Maoists who facilitate the drug trade. The drugs
being procured are from two blocks - the golden triangle: Iran,
Afghanistan and Iraq; and the golden crescent: Myanmar, Thailand,
Cambodia and Laos.

What has shocked agencies is that unlike in the past, drugs are also being used in India.

'Traditionally
India was only a transit route, but now the demand for various drugs is
increasing within the country,' said an official from the Narcotics
Control Bureau.